Week six marked the beginning of my service learning assignment for study abroad. This program was designed for students to learn more about Italian culture by teaching Italian students once a week. Each student was assigned a particular school whether primary, secondary, or high school. I was assigned primary school. The name was Scuola Primaria C. Collodi. Before going to the school, I was able to meet with my teacher, MariaTeresa, to discuss my responsibilities and ask questions. She informed me that there were about 25 students per class and that they were learning about months, seasons, numbers, and birthdays. At first I thought it was a lot of material to cover, but she later explained to me that I would cover only one topic each class. She suggested that I try my best to be very creative, while making my lesson plans and to be sure to include songs. She went on to warn me of how badly behaved her classes were. Once I heard that, I got really nervous. I had never taught a class before and on top of that the students were bad. The only time I had ever played the role of a teacher was when I was younger and taught my dolls. However, this was very different; these were real children. I did not know what to think, so I let my nerves do the thinking. I pictured these children to be so bad, hanging from the ceilings and running around everywhere screaming in a language that I could not understand. Luckily, I was wrong.
The children were well-behaved for the most part and knew a lot of English. The ages ranged from 6 to 8 years old. I even had the privilege of having one boy’s birthday during my visit. I took note of how it differed from in America. In the States, birthday parties usually take place in the class, but not in Italy. MariaTeresa yanked on his ears eight times and told him to sit down once we all finished singing “Happy Birthday” in English. I thought it strange, but the notion was similar to that in America. When it is someone’s birthday you hit or pinch them for the number of years they are turning, and then maybe a lick for good luck.
As soon as I walked into the room all the little heads turned and followed me as I made my way to the front of the class. They all stared for a minute and then as I began to speak English their faces lit up. I told them my name, age, where I was from and a few things about myself. I was curious to know about the children so I began class by going around the room asking for their names and favorite color. There were 23 children in the class and it took a long time to finish. By the time we finished, I had forgotten all the children’s names. Afterwards, I allowed time to ask any questions that they wanted to know about me. They asked me a variety of questions ranging from “how many brothers do I have” to “do I have a boyfriend”. As I laughed and joked with them all my nerves disappeared, and I was ready to begin my lesson. I stayed up all Sunday night planning my lesson. I ended up making games and a song about the months of the year. I thought it would be easy since I was learning about the months of the year in Italian class. I used apple print-outs and labels as visible aids for the children. I taped the months of the year to the board, while I had the students write their name on the apple print-out. My plan was to say all the months in Italian and again in English, followed by the students placing their apple on the board under the month that matches their birthday. I was able to explain successfully the directions, and everything went smoothly. Afterwards, I taught a song to help remember the months. First, I sang it twice and then I went line by line singing while the class copied me. It was a lot of fun and a great way for the students to participate. This class lasted for an hour and then it was time to move to the next class.
I found it strange that in Italy the teacher is the one that rotates from class to class rather than the students. MariaTeresa and I went to a total of three classes, teaching the same activity in each class. All the students enjoyed my singing, and learning about me. By noon, I was exhausted and hungry. Although I had a wonderful welcoming from the students; I was ready to return back to the Palazzo. I was glad that the experience was not as bad as I thought. Now I know what to expect for the weeks to come.
I was very excited for the weekend because we would remain in Sansepolcro. I was able to use this time to explore the city more than usual. I went on two walks with Bekah and Megan. We walked into the countryside and into the surrounding neighborhoods. It was a refreshing experience. I needed a break from traveling and from the Palazzo. I saw beautiful views in the country. Even though, there was a lot of mud from the rain earlier in the week it was still pretty. I saw the mountain tops that were covered in snow and a highway. Along the way, there were many chickens, dogs, and cats running about. Bekah and Megan found it amusing that I was afraid of dogs and screamed every time I laid eyes on one. The three of us talked about almost everything and I noticed in many ways we were very similar. Being that Bekah is a bride-to-be, it was only a matter of time before the topic of marriage came up. She told us how she originally wanted a beach wedding, but changed her mind because it involved too much planning. I agreed most beach weddings that are pictured in magazines cost a lot of money and as Bekah said requires a great deal of planning. As a result, she decided to have a normal ceremony in a church. She told us about her dress and other aspects of her wedding. I think it is cool that she is getting married. I cannot wait until I meet Mr. Right and get married. Marriage was just one of the many topics for conversations we had. Before we knew it, we had walked and talked all the way back into the walled city of Sansepolcro.
By that time it was 4 o’clock and all the shops were opening from the lunch hour. We looked in a few shops. I wanted to go and buy a pair of boots that were on sale the week before, but when I went in the store they were gone. I was a little sad but quickly got over it. We went into the farmicia with Bekah and then headed back to the Palazzo. After our walk, Megan and I relaxed in peace and quiet. Both Shannon and Jess went to Venice for the weekend, leaving Megan and me behind. It did not bother us too much; instead we took advantage of the time. We finished some homework and shared family stories. We were both curious to know about each other’s families, so we shared stories for about an hour.
Later on that night we watched a film called “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”. I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great action film-love story in the Greek Island of Cephalonia during the German and Italian occupation in World War II in 1941. It differed from all the other movies we had watched, being that it had a happy ending. I expected a sad one, but I was incorrect. The movie finished beautifully; Penelope Cruz was reunited with her long lost love from the war and she achieved her dream of becoming a doctor. All the main characters lived until the end, which was satisfying. There were many moments when I almost cried but caught myself. I would not mind watching that movie again.
On Saturday night all the girls watched another movie, called “Because I said so”. It starred Mandy Moore, a famous American singer. The movie was a comedy, much lighter than the usual war films. It incorporated the typical love situation, when the guy tries to pursue the girl of his dreams. It was all too familiar and grew boring at times. After that movie everyone went to bed early, because we had to get up at 7 a.m. to leave for Perugia. I wanted to see Perugia, since my Italian professor, Francesca, always talks about it in class. She had said it was the best place to visit and it has a beautiful landscape. I ended up going to bed at around 11 o’clock, but was constantly waken by all the commotion in the streets. It being Saturday night; the streets in Sansepolcro were filled with loud and drunken college students. I woke up at 1 a.m. and again at 6 am; then, before I knew it, my alarm went off. It took me awhile to get out of bed for some strange reason; my back was hurting. I was thinking that I had slept in the wrong position, but I knew right away that I would not be able to go to Perugia with everyone. I was rather upset, but then I realized my health comes first and that I can always go another time. I had to take medication and do a few exercises assigned by my doctor. I had not being doing the exercises as often as when I’m at home and I think that was the reason for my pain. I quickly went to tell Dr. Webb about my condition and that I would be staying at the Palazzo for the day. I really hate that I could not enjoy the experience with the girls but I’m sure they will tell me all about it.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
"To be or not to be"
For the first independent travel break, my roommates and I decided to go to Verona. Verona is located in Veneto, one of the northern regions of Italy, and is one of the main tourist cities. The Roman Amphitheatre, where operas are held, attracts numerous people annually. Verona is known as the home of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Tourist can see both Romeo and Juliet’s houses, write letters to Juliet, and rub her right breast for good luck while there; we planned to do all those activities plus more.
After classes on Thursday, March 3 we traveled to Verona. It would take one bus and two trains to get there from Sansepolcro; but we were up for the challenge. The travel went very well until we reached Bologna. We were aware that we had to switch trains, but had trouble finding the right one. We looked on the departure board and found the train and binario (track) number. However, while reading we overlooked one small, but vital detail. Our train to Verona was to arrive on binario 3, so we went there. After 20 minutes we realized that something must have gone wrong because the train never showed up and the listing then read Roma. After double checking the board for the binario number we noticed it said: Verona binario 3 (oviest). We had no idea what oviest meant and the Italian guide book was no help. I quickly called Bekah, our residential director, for help. She informed me that it meant “west” in Italian, and that we were at the wrong track. As a result, we missed our train. The next one was not for another hour. We were really bummed, but instead of moping around, we cheered up by having dinner in Bologna. Since the next train was due soon, we did not want to eat too far from the station. The map did not show any close restaurants, so we settled for McDonald’s which was across the street from the station. Everyone knows that I hate McDonalds; but let’s just say I took one for the team. I had my first cheeseburger in Italy, fries, and a coke; while the others had chicken nuggets. We sat chatting endlessly about our experience thus far and what we planned to do once in Verona. I planned on seeing the Giusti Garden and a castle. The others had similar suggestions and wanted to go to Juliet’s wall to write love letters.
Two hours passed rather quickly and we were on the train again; this time the correct one. We did not have assigned seats, as before. I was happy to stretch out in the seat diagonal from Megan and began my reading for literature. Surprisingly, the reading was interesting and helped time go by faster. Before I knew I realized it was 11:00 at night and we were in Verona. Given that we arrived in Verona later than expected, a lot of plans were delayed. We anticipated getting maps in the tourist office but it was closed. It was dark, cold and rainy outside. We had no clue where to begin; this scared me because we were guaranteed to get lost with no map. A mixture of thoughts was running through my mind, but I decided that if we stayed on the main road we would be safe. I hoped that we would run into the bed and breakfast along the way, seeing that it was located in the town center. We went off into the night wishing for a savior, but luck was not on our side. Instead we wandered around Verona becoming more and more lost. There were hardly any people on the streets, businesses were closed, and there were few cars about. We passed two prostitutes and homeless people along the way, which was awfully frightening. We continued to walk onward, hoping we would see a small café of some kind, where we could ask for directions. I prayed repeatedly for direction and safety for all of us. After dragging both our tired bodies and luggage for about 30 minutes in the rain, we came across a small bar. I thought to myself, that God works in mysterious ways and my prayers were finally answered. We dashed into the bar, dripping wet, to ask for directions. Of course, no one spoke English so we had to use the little Italian we knew to communicate. Somehow, through all the jumbled Italian, an old man by the name of Johnny understood us. He said that he could not properly direct us in Italian because of our language barrier. He then offered to drive us to the bed and breakfast personally. He told us that his car was tiny and that he could only drive us in pairs. I was hesitant and suspicious but after all it was our only option left. Again, I prayed for our safety and that Johnny was a polite man who would not take advantage of us. I kept wishing that this situation was only a nightmare that I would soon wake up from, but it was not. As we proceeded to Johnny’s car my stomach began to fill up with fear and it felt as if I needed to vomit.
We divided into two; the first duo was Shannon and me, while Jess and Megan stayed behind. They waited inside the bar, while Johnny shuttled us away. In less than five minutes we arrived on Via Marconi, where our bed and breakfast was located. We could not breathe easily just yet; we still had to wait for Jess and Megan. As soon he dropped us off, I phoned Jess to make sure everything was all right. She said they were fine and would meet us shortly. Soon after I hung up the phone, I saw the small car pull up with Jess and Megan inside. I was relieved; but we still had one more thing to do; find B&B Divina. Luckily, it was not far and we safely settled in. Our first night was a crazy one; I labeled it the worst day of my life. I was so ready to fall asleep and forgot everything that happened.
Friday was a new day; we all woke up feeling better and eager to see Verona. We ate a small breakfast at the bed and breakfast then were on our way. First we went to Castleveccchio. This castle was built by the Romans and now serves as an ancient museum for tourists. We were allowed to take pictures inside, which made it even better. The castle was filled with wonderful artwork inside and amazing views outside. We were able to go to the top and take incredible pictures of the city. From that point, I was able to see two of the famous bridges in Verona and its beautiful landscape. We looked around in the castle for a total of two hours and loved every minute of it.
After leaving the castle, it was lunch time. We found a place on the same street as Castlevecchio, which had delicious sandwiches. Everyone had the same lunch; a ham, cheese, lettuce, mayo and tomato sandwich with my favorite soda, coke. Once we finished eating, we headed off again. We ran into a small market in the town square and could not help but stop. Everyone knows I love to shop, so I was overly excited. I wanted to find a few things for my sister and myself. I ended up buying postcards, magnets, and an Italian license plate for my sister. Oddly we spent little time in the market; we then went in the direction of Juliet’s house, since everyone wanted to write letters. There we found a huge flock of people doing the same thing as we: writing letters. People all around us scribbled on anything they could find and stuck their notes to the famous wall. Quite the opposite, we took our time putting much thought into every line of our letters. Everyone knew that Shannon was most eager, due to the fact that she had a lingering boy problem that she wanted to get off her chest. As we finished our letters we divided a pack of gum to attach our notes to the wall. We went one by one placing our notes on the wall as we took pictures of one another. Before leaving, we all rubbed Juliet’s breast for good luck and initialed the wall as a reminder of the great times we’ve shared so far.
As we were leaving Juliet’s wall, we were lured into a candy store. We all craved sweets and went wild in the store as if we were five-year-olds. I ended up buying four euro-worth of candy and the others spent more than me. To our surprise the candy was not as good as it looked. It was hard and tasted like dirt. Although the candy was nasty, it was a fun experience. We sampled all the candy on the way to the famous Roman Amphitheatre. The arena was remarkable; it looked just like the pictures. We climbed to the top and were blown away by the marvelous city view. I was very proud of myself for climbing to the top, for this was the first thing I have climbed since my surgery. I was so pleased with my accomplishment that I called my mom to tell her. From the top we could see everything in the city, I took tons of pictures. We sat and chatted in the arena for a while until it started to rain. It turned out that what we thought was rain was actually hail. It lasted for about 30 minutes and ,as a result, we decided to head towards our bed and breakfast. On the way back, we made occasionally stops in small shops. The stroll back to B&B Divina was less than ten minutes. While walking we felt all the pain from the countless cobble stone streets we had walked on earlier that day.
Later that night around, at 8 o’clock, we went out for dinner. All the places we had in mind were too far away. Instead we walked around until we found a suitable restaurant. Most of the places we passed were too expensive, so we kept going. Finally after about 15 minutes we came across a small restaurant. It was very nice, quiet, and clean. Although there was only one waiter, he managed to serve us in a reasonable time. We had a scrumptious two course dinner: pasta for the first course and grilled chicken for the next. Everyone was so full after dinner that we could barely walk back to B&B Divina. So now, we were ready for bed. We could not wait to go to sleep and rest up for our second day in Verona.
After classes on Thursday, March 3 we traveled to Verona. It would take one bus and two trains to get there from Sansepolcro; but we were up for the challenge. The travel went very well until we reached Bologna. We were aware that we had to switch trains, but had trouble finding the right one. We looked on the departure board and found the train and binario (track) number. However, while reading we overlooked one small, but vital detail. Our train to Verona was to arrive on binario 3, so we went there. After 20 minutes we realized that something must have gone wrong because the train never showed up and the listing then read Roma. After double checking the board for the binario number we noticed it said: Verona binario 3 (oviest). We had no idea what oviest meant and the Italian guide book was no help. I quickly called Bekah, our residential director, for help. She informed me that it meant “west” in Italian, and that we were at the wrong track. As a result, we missed our train. The next one was not for another hour. We were really bummed, but instead of moping around, we cheered up by having dinner in Bologna. Since the next train was due soon, we did not want to eat too far from the station. The map did not show any close restaurants, so we settled for McDonald’s which was across the street from the station. Everyone knows that I hate McDonalds; but let’s just say I took one for the team. I had my first cheeseburger in Italy, fries, and a coke; while the others had chicken nuggets. We sat chatting endlessly about our experience thus far and what we planned to do once in Verona. I planned on seeing the Giusti Garden and a castle. The others had similar suggestions and wanted to go to Juliet’s wall to write love letters.
Two hours passed rather quickly and we were on the train again; this time the correct one. We did not have assigned seats, as before. I was happy to stretch out in the seat diagonal from Megan and began my reading for literature. Surprisingly, the reading was interesting and helped time go by faster. Before I knew I realized it was 11:00 at night and we were in Verona. Given that we arrived in Verona later than expected, a lot of plans were delayed. We anticipated getting maps in the tourist office but it was closed. It was dark, cold and rainy outside. We had no clue where to begin; this scared me because we were guaranteed to get lost with no map. A mixture of thoughts was running through my mind, but I decided that if we stayed on the main road we would be safe. I hoped that we would run into the bed and breakfast along the way, seeing that it was located in the town center. We went off into the night wishing for a savior, but luck was not on our side. Instead we wandered around Verona becoming more and more lost. There were hardly any people on the streets, businesses were closed, and there were few cars about. We passed two prostitutes and homeless people along the way, which was awfully frightening. We continued to walk onward, hoping we would see a small café of some kind, where we could ask for directions. I prayed repeatedly for direction and safety for all of us. After dragging both our tired bodies and luggage for about 30 minutes in the rain, we came across a small bar. I thought to myself, that God works in mysterious ways and my prayers were finally answered. We dashed into the bar, dripping wet, to ask for directions. Of course, no one spoke English so we had to use the little Italian we knew to communicate. Somehow, through all the jumbled Italian, an old man by the name of Johnny understood us. He said that he could not properly direct us in Italian because of our language barrier. He then offered to drive us to the bed and breakfast personally. He told us that his car was tiny and that he could only drive us in pairs. I was hesitant and suspicious but after all it was our only option left. Again, I prayed for our safety and that Johnny was a polite man who would not take advantage of us. I kept wishing that this situation was only a nightmare that I would soon wake up from, but it was not. As we proceeded to Johnny’s car my stomach began to fill up with fear and it felt as if I needed to vomit.
We divided into two; the first duo was Shannon and me, while Jess and Megan stayed behind. They waited inside the bar, while Johnny shuttled us away. In less than five minutes we arrived on Via Marconi, where our bed and breakfast was located. We could not breathe easily just yet; we still had to wait for Jess and Megan. As soon he dropped us off, I phoned Jess to make sure everything was all right. She said they were fine and would meet us shortly. Soon after I hung up the phone, I saw the small car pull up with Jess and Megan inside. I was relieved; but we still had one more thing to do; find B&B Divina. Luckily, it was not far and we safely settled in. Our first night was a crazy one; I labeled it the worst day of my life. I was so ready to fall asleep and forgot everything that happened.
Friday was a new day; we all woke up feeling better and eager to see Verona. We ate a small breakfast at the bed and breakfast then were on our way. First we went to Castleveccchio. This castle was built by the Romans and now serves as an ancient museum for tourists. We were allowed to take pictures inside, which made it even better. The castle was filled with wonderful artwork inside and amazing views outside. We were able to go to the top and take incredible pictures of the city. From that point, I was able to see two of the famous bridges in Verona and its beautiful landscape. We looked around in the castle for a total of two hours and loved every minute of it.
After leaving the castle, it was lunch time. We found a place on the same street as Castlevecchio, which had delicious sandwiches. Everyone had the same lunch; a ham, cheese, lettuce, mayo and tomato sandwich with my favorite soda, coke. Once we finished eating, we headed off again. We ran into a small market in the town square and could not help but stop. Everyone knows I love to shop, so I was overly excited. I wanted to find a few things for my sister and myself. I ended up buying postcards, magnets, and an Italian license plate for my sister. Oddly we spent little time in the market; we then went in the direction of Juliet’s house, since everyone wanted to write letters. There we found a huge flock of people doing the same thing as we: writing letters. People all around us scribbled on anything they could find and stuck their notes to the famous wall. Quite the opposite, we took our time putting much thought into every line of our letters. Everyone knew that Shannon was most eager, due to the fact that she had a lingering boy problem that she wanted to get off her chest. As we finished our letters we divided a pack of gum to attach our notes to the wall. We went one by one placing our notes on the wall as we took pictures of one another. Before leaving, we all rubbed Juliet’s breast for good luck and initialed the wall as a reminder of the great times we’ve shared so far.
As we were leaving Juliet’s wall, we were lured into a candy store. We all craved sweets and went wild in the store as if we were five-year-olds. I ended up buying four euro-worth of candy and the others spent more than me. To our surprise the candy was not as good as it looked. It was hard and tasted like dirt. Although the candy was nasty, it was a fun experience. We sampled all the candy on the way to the famous Roman Amphitheatre. The arena was remarkable; it looked just like the pictures. We climbed to the top and were blown away by the marvelous city view. I was very proud of myself for climbing to the top, for this was the first thing I have climbed since my surgery. I was so pleased with my accomplishment that I called my mom to tell her. From the top we could see everything in the city, I took tons of pictures. We sat and chatted in the arena for a while until it started to rain. It turned out that what we thought was rain was actually hail. It lasted for about 30 minutes and ,as a result, we decided to head towards our bed and breakfast. On the way back, we made occasionally stops in small shops. The stroll back to B&B Divina was less than ten minutes. While walking we felt all the pain from the countless cobble stone streets we had walked on earlier that day.
Later that night around, at 8 o’clock, we went out for dinner. All the places we had in mind were too far away. Instead we walked around until we found a suitable restaurant. Most of the places we passed were too expensive, so we kept going. Finally after about 15 minutes we came across a small restaurant. It was very nice, quiet, and clean. Although there was only one waiter, he managed to serve us in a reasonable time. We had a scrumptious two course dinner: pasta for the first course and grilled chicken for the next. Everyone was so full after dinner that we could barely walk back to B&B Divina. So now, we were ready for bed. We could not wait to go to sleep and rest up for our second day in Verona.
Florence Pt. 2
On Sunday morning we woke up early for our second day in Florence. At eight o’clock we ate breakfast and headed for the bus. Being that it was Sunday, most of the stores along our street were closed so we had to walk farther to buy a bus ticket. The nine o’clock bus was running a little late so we caught a 9:16 one instead. Once we arrived at the station, the group divided into two groups; three in one and five in the other. My group consisted of Shannon, Jess, Megan, Lilly, and me. Our first stop was at the Uffizi Museum. I was map manager again and within ten minutes we arrived at the museum. The line was really long but we still wanted to go in so we waited. After forty-five minutes we went inside and the wait seemed to be worth it.
The Uffizi Museum was built in 1581 and located adjacent to the Medici Palace. Uffizi is an Italian word meaning office. The space was originally designed to hold offices and an area for the bureaucratic meetings. Today, the use of the space is quite different. The Uffizi holds many famous sculptures, paintings, and artworks in Florence. There were several Renaissance and Medieval artworks at the museum, that were discussed in class. I saw the painting of the Duke and Duchess of Montefeltro. It is one of the famous paintings of Piero della Francesca, an Italian Renaissance painter. He is also a native of Sansepolcro; interesting!
After about an hour and a half in the museum, some girls were ready to move on. Jess, Megan, and I wanted to go back to the market before we caught our train. In order to cover two different agendas, we split up. Shannon and Lilly were really interested in the artworks and decided to stay longer. They agreed to call us afterwards so we could all meet up at the train station. After the Uffizi, we searched for a snack before shopping. We were in luck because directly outside the museum we found an inexpensive snack bar. I was craving chocolate so I ordered a chocolate croissant and my favorite drink, coke. We quickly ate our snacks on the way to the market. We found a reasonable market, just past the Duomo. It happened to be the same market we were at on Saturday. All of a sudden many of the vendors remembered us and tried to get our attention. One man from a wallet stand, remembered me in particular because I brought a wallet on Saturday. This time I wanted to buy my mother a leather wallet. I was originally supposed to buy her leather gloves, but they were too expensive. The wallet was originally 30 euro, but the man kindly reduced the price to 20 euro since I gave him business the day before. I was really excited to check my mom off my list for souvenirs, but I was still in search of a gift for my grandfather. As we passed a tie stand, I saw a tie that would go perfectly with one of my grandfather’s church suits. It was stripped silver and blue, and had the Florence symbol on it. The ties were three euro apiece, but I thought I could bargain two for five. So I used my skills to buy two. It actually worked and I was impressed. Jess and Megan were too and said they should learn from me. I guess all my days in thrift shops with my mom finally paid off, because I used all the skills she taught me. Jess and I both brought scarves for ourselves. I bought a beautiful purple, blue and gold one, Megan has one identical to it. Jess brought a pretty black and gold one. After spending all our money in the market, we headed towards the train station to meet the other girls. We navigated our way back within ten minutes. Just as we were walking into the train station, we were lured in by another vendor. It was a lady who hand-stitched sayings on potholders. I thought it would be nice to buy one for my family, therefore I brought one that read “Patterson’s”, Jess bought two: one for her parents and the other for her and her boyfriend. Megan brought a chef’s hat for her mother that was very cool. After that we went into the station to look for a quick sandwich to eat on the train ride. Jess and Megan wanted to eat McDonald’s, but I did not. I hate McDonald’s, but I was going to walk with them anyway. Once we were in McDonald’s the girls decided the meals were too expensive so we did not buy anything. There were other restaurants around that we wandered into. None of the food looked satisfying, so we were out of luck. We left, only to find ourselves in the middle of a strike of some sort.
There were people shouting and screaming in Italian while carrying flags through the station. Many of them were men being followed by the police. Jess, Megan, and I were all scared and did not know what to do. We looked on in fear as the mob went toward the streets, we felt relieved but then thought about the other girls. I quickly called Shannon but I did not get an answer. I tried Lilly too, she did not answer either. I was hoping that the strike would not turn violent, but all of sudden there was a cloud of orange smoke throughout the whole station. It was difficult to see through the smog, but I noticed Shannon walking towards us with a confused look on her face. Behind Shannon, Lilly and Kelsey tagged along. The three girls were just as confused as we were, but we had other things to handle. First we went to the luggage section, where we had all locked our belongings earlier that day. We retrieved our belongings and scurried to the nearest list of train arrival and departures. It was confusing, but we managed to find our 2:15 train back to Arezzo. We validated our tickets and boarded the train. Luckily, it was not crowded; everyone found seats next to each other. Once settled we all put on our IPods and waited until our next stop in Arezzo.
It was a long wait until we finally reached Arezzo, but we made it. We had just enough time to take a restroom break and get to the bus stop. After looking at every sign, we found our correct bus stop. The ride was longer than usual, being that it was a Sunday, but calming. We reached the Palazzo after about an hour and half. We were exhausted but glad that we were back at “home”.
The following weekend, the group took a day trip to Siena. Siena’s origin was the myth of Senius and Acius, sons of Remus (hence the various she-wolves around the city), and it was founded by the Etruscans. Siena is a hilly, Tuscan city famous for the she-wolf emblem, cuisine, museums, and palio. Palio di Siena is a horse race that happens twice a year during the summer. It is held in the Piazza del Campo, the town center, where 10 riders race barebacked upon horses dressed in colors representing different parts of the city. It is a big event that attracts tons of people. Unfortunately, we were not visiting during palio season, but there was still a lot to see. I was able to see two museums; the Duomo Museum and the Museo Civico located in the Palazzo Pubblico Torre del Mangia. The palazzo was originally the headquarters of Siena’s rulers and ruling council, but today the upper floor is occupied by the Museo Civico. Both sites had wonderful medieval artwork and detail, but what caught my attention was all the civic pride within the city. The Campo was a focus of city life, and pride was shown by flags, frescos, and mosaics. After seeing the museums, we did a little shopping and finished the day by eating gelato. Afterwards, we slowly made our way back to the station to wait for our bus. To get back to Sansepolcro, we had to take two buses, the first one of which switched off in Arezzo. The trip was just what everyone needed to re-energize for the upcoming week. Overall, Siena was similar to Florence but differed in many ways. Although both are historic cities of art, the feel of the cities are opposite. It was noted in the Rough Guide, that Florence and Siena, are rival cities. Florence is famous for its Renaissance era; while Siena has a Gothic style that blows tourists away. They both have Duomos, famous museums, and piazzas; but Florence and Siena are two cities one must see. Siena seemed calmer and easier to get around because all the buildings radiated from the Piazza del Campo. Florence is more of a tourist and shopping site than Siena. I learned a lot from both cities and would not mind revisiting either one; maybe next time I can take my family!
The Uffizi Museum was built in 1581 and located adjacent to the Medici Palace. Uffizi is an Italian word meaning office. The space was originally designed to hold offices and an area for the bureaucratic meetings. Today, the use of the space is quite different. The Uffizi holds many famous sculptures, paintings, and artworks in Florence. There were several Renaissance and Medieval artworks at the museum, that were discussed in class. I saw the painting of the Duke and Duchess of Montefeltro. It is one of the famous paintings of Piero della Francesca, an Italian Renaissance painter. He is also a native of Sansepolcro; interesting!
After about an hour and a half in the museum, some girls were ready to move on. Jess, Megan, and I wanted to go back to the market before we caught our train. In order to cover two different agendas, we split up. Shannon and Lilly were really interested in the artworks and decided to stay longer. They agreed to call us afterwards so we could all meet up at the train station. After the Uffizi, we searched for a snack before shopping. We were in luck because directly outside the museum we found an inexpensive snack bar. I was craving chocolate so I ordered a chocolate croissant and my favorite drink, coke. We quickly ate our snacks on the way to the market. We found a reasonable market, just past the Duomo. It happened to be the same market we were at on Saturday. All of a sudden many of the vendors remembered us and tried to get our attention. One man from a wallet stand, remembered me in particular because I brought a wallet on Saturday. This time I wanted to buy my mother a leather wallet. I was originally supposed to buy her leather gloves, but they were too expensive. The wallet was originally 30 euro, but the man kindly reduced the price to 20 euro since I gave him business the day before. I was really excited to check my mom off my list for souvenirs, but I was still in search of a gift for my grandfather. As we passed a tie stand, I saw a tie that would go perfectly with one of my grandfather’s church suits. It was stripped silver and blue, and had the Florence symbol on it. The ties were three euro apiece, but I thought I could bargain two for five. So I used my skills to buy two. It actually worked and I was impressed. Jess and Megan were too and said they should learn from me. I guess all my days in thrift shops with my mom finally paid off, because I used all the skills she taught me. Jess and I both brought scarves for ourselves. I bought a beautiful purple, blue and gold one, Megan has one identical to it. Jess brought a pretty black and gold one. After spending all our money in the market, we headed towards the train station to meet the other girls. We navigated our way back within ten minutes. Just as we were walking into the train station, we were lured in by another vendor. It was a lady who hand-stitched sayings on potholders. I thought it would be nice to buy one for my family, therefore I brought one that read “Patterson’s”, Jess bought two: one for her parents and the other for her and her boyfriend. Megan brought a chef’s hat for her mother that was very cool. After that we went into the station to look for a quick sandwich to eat on the train ride. Jess and Megan wanted to eat McDonald’s, but I did not. I hate McDonald’s, but I was going to walk with them anyway. Once we were in McDonald’s the girls decided the meals were too expensive so we did not buy anything. There were other restaurants around that we wandered into. None of the food looked satisfying, so we were out of luck. We left, only to find ourselves in the middle of a strike of some sort.
There were people shouting and screaming in Italian while carrying flags through the station. Many of them were men being followed by the police. Jess, Megan, and I were all scared and did not know what to do. We looked on in fear as the mob went toward the streets, we felt relieved but then thought about the other girls. I quickly called Shannon but I did not get an answer. I tried Lilly too, she did not answer either. I was hoping that the strike would not turn violent, but all of sudden there was a cloud of orange smoke throughout the whole station. It was difficult to see through the smog, but I noticed Shannon walking towards us with a confused look on her face. Behind Shannon, Lilly and Kelsey tagged along. The three girls were just as confused as we were, but we had other things to handle. First we went to the luggage section, where we had all locked our belongings earlier that day. We retrieved our belongings and scurried to the nearest list of train arrival and departures. It was confusing, but we managed to find our 2:15 train back to Arezzo. We validated our tickets and boarded the train. Luckily, it was not crowded; everyone found seats next to each other. Once settled we all put on our IPods and waited until our next stop in Arezzo.
It was a long wait until we finally reached Arezzo, but we made it. We had just enough time to take a restroom break and get to the bus stop. After looking at every sign, we found our correct bus stop. The ride was longer than usual, being that it was a Sunday, but calming. We reached the Palazzo after about an hour and half. We were exhausted but glad that we were back at “home”.
The following weekend, the group took a day trip to Siena. Siena’s origin was the myth of Senius and Acius, sons of Remus (hence the various she-wolves around the city), and it was founded by the Etruscans. Siena is a hilly, Tuscan city famous for the she-wolf emblem, cuisine, museums, and palio. Palio di Siena is a horse race that happens twice a year during the summer. It is held in the Piazza del Campo, the town center, where 10 riders race barebacked upon horses dressed in colors representing different parts of the city. It is a big event that attracts tons of people. Unfortunately, we were not visiting during palio season, but there was still a lot to see. I was able to see two museums; the Duomo Museum and the Museo Civico located in the Palazzo Pubblico Torre del Mangia. The palazzo was originally the headquarters of Siena’s rulers and ruling council, but today the upper floor is occupied by the Museo Civico. Both sites had wonderful medieval artwork and detail, but what caught my attention was all the civic pride within the city. The Campo was a focus of city life, and pride was shown by flags, frescos, and mosaics. After seeing the museums, we did a little shopping and finished the day by eating gelato. Afterwards, we slowly made our way back to the station to wait for our bus. To get back to Sansepolcro, we had to take two buses, the first one of which switched off in Arezzo. The trip was just what everyone needed to re-energize for the upcoming week. Overall, Siena was similar to Florence but differed in many ways. Although both are historic cities of art, the feel of the cities are opposite. It was noted in the Rough Guide, that Florence and Siena, are rival cities. Florence is famous for its Renaissance era; while Siena has a Gothic style that blows tourists away. They both have Duomos, famous museums, and piazzas; but Florence and Siena are two cities one must see. Siena seemed calmer and easier to get around because all the buildings radiated from the Piazza del Campo. Florence is more of a tourist and shopping site than Siena. I learned a lot from both cities and would not mind revisiting either one; maybe next time I can take my family!
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